The great sax player Joe Lovano said one time that playing with a group will you make the same pattern you play sound different.  For example, if you play the same pattern of notes twice and the chord changes, it will seem like you played something different and it could be more interesting than playing two different things.  Repeating an idea helps set up a groove.

A step beyond that, playing the same pattern over the same chord is all right too.

It seems like the same pattern over the same chords will pretty much sound the same, right?

That’s what I would have thought before.

But if you look closely, and the details can make a huge difference, the background will not be exactly the same, so the overall combination will be different.

So that element of playing with other people will constantly change how you sound and can give you ideas of places to go musically.

Basically, you should be careful not to get used to practicing too much with play-alongs, since there is no interaction and many other people practice with the same tracks- so it does not encourage originality.

They are a useful tool, but you want to get out there and jam with other musicians!